Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 1R03HD113915-01

Mapping Corticoreticulospinal Motor Control Using Brainstem and Spinal Cord fMRI in Chronic Hemiparetic Stroke

Research project to map corticoreticulospinal motor control using brainstem and spinal cord fMRI in chronic hemiparetic stroke patients to understand alternative neural pathways and their effects on motor deficits.

Description

Approximately 60% of hemiparetic stroke-survivors experience significant chronic motor deficits in their paretic upper limb, typically caused by damage to the corticospinal tract (CST). Alternative neural pathways, such as the cortico-reticulospinal tract (CRST), can be recruited to achieve movement of the affected arm and hand, but may have undesirable consequences. For example, the diffuse, bilateral branching of reticulospinal neurons can produce abnormal muscle co-activations (synergies) in the paretic limb, and involuntary mirror movements (associated reactions) between limbs. Together, these effects create stereotypical movement patterns post-stroke, and there is growing interest in novel

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